Hinshaw Paralegal Kristina Pritchett Elected President of the Miami Dade Legal Support Association

The U.S. law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP is pleased to announce that firm paralegal Kristina M. Pritchett has been elected President, and paralegal Elissa M. 'Reece' Otto-Villamor has been elected Recording Secretary, of the Miami Dade Legal Support Association (MDLSA), the local chapter of a bi-level organization consisting of legal professionals.

Most recently the Treasurer of MDLSA, Pritchett is a Florida Registered Paralegal. She assists attorneys with commercial and residential real estate transactions and has more than two decades of experience devoted to assisting in complex transactional law matters including acquisitions, loan transactions and negotiations. She has assisted attorneys in the representation of major banks, mortgage companies, investors, real estate developers and government agencies. Pritchett prepares agreements and documents, and conducts title review, as well as due diligence review. She processes and prepares loan documents, closing statements, Schedule BI requirements and Schedule BII exceptions, and performs Patriot Act searches, corporate/UCC searches, open permits/violations searches and tax and lien searches. In addition, she has substantial experience with surveys, Phase I and II environmental reports, permits and plans.

Elissa M. 'Reece' Otto-Villamor is a Florida Registered Paralegal with more than 18 years of experience assisting attorneys in a wide range of real estate matters, including closings of acquisitions, sales, and loan transactions for sophisticated commercial and high value residential real estate. She reviews loan commitment letters and term sheets, due diligence documentation, status memoranda, title documents and surveys. Ms. Otto-Villamor prepares real estate and loan closing checklists and critical date schedules, title objection letters, and sale and loan documentation for attorney review. She has assisted on a wide variety of transactions, including condominium project development and developer unit sales closings, multi-family residential town home, condominium and lease projects, retail, commercial and unimproved real property for development purposes, and Section 1031 Like-Kind Exchange transactions.

MDSLA is open to all individuals employed in the legal field to join including but not limited to certified legal assistants or paralegals. Founded in 1958 as the Dade County Legal Secretaries Association, the organization provides networking opportunities, raises funds for local charitable groups and offers continuing education by way of CLE credits at monthly membership meetings and all-day seminars.